Disaster Recovery Funding for Military Facilities on Guam (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Oct. 1, 2024 |
| Report Number |
IN12434 |
| Report Type |
Insight |
| Authors |
Andrew Tilghman |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
In May 2023, a category-four typhoon struck the U.S. territory of Guam, causing damage to U.S. Navy
and U.S. Air Force facilities, cutting power lines, and disrupting water supplies for some of the 6,500 U.S.
military servicemembers permanently stationed on the island. Cost estimates for this damage vary, with
some estimates placing the total as high as $50 billion.
Because of the territory’s geographic position—Guam is closer to the Asian mainland than to Hawaii—
DOD officials consider it to be vital to national defense strategy in the Indo-Pacific region. Congress is
debating whether to provide the Department of Defense (DOD) billions of dollars in disaster recovery
funding for military facilities on Guam.
DOD has been investing in infrastructure on Guam for several years (for additional information, see CRS
Report R47643, Guam: Defense Infrastructure and Readiness, by Andrew Tilghman.).
